Dolphin: 12 Facts

Fisherman saves stranded dolphin by Franna Fishing

       A dolphin is an animal which forms the type of a family that includes, also, the porpoise and the narwhal. 

12 Facts About Dolphins:

1. It inhabits every sea from the equator to the poles. 
2. The common dolphin measures from six to ten feet in length and has a distinctive snout about a half foot long. 
3. It is usually, black above, gray on the sides and white beneath.
4. Its flesh is coarse, rank and disagreeable, but it is used by the Laplanders as food. 
5. The dolphins live on fish and mollusca, and often they may be seen in great numbers around shoals of herring. 
6. They have to come to the surface at short intervals to breathe. 
7. The structure of the ear renders the sense of hearing very acute, and the animals are observed to be attracted by regular or harmonious sounds. 
8. Compactness and strength are the characteristics of these animals, and they swim with extraordinary velocity.
9. The dolphin is most common in the Mediterranean, but one species, the bottle-nosed, is caught on the coast of New Jersey. 
10. Other species which are see off the coast of the United States are the black dolphin and the spotted dolphin. 
11. The name is also commonly but improperly given to a fish of the mackerel family, which changes its colors when dying, and shows many beautiful shades. 
12. In Greek mythology the dolphin was sacred to Apollo. Its image appeared on Greek coins and is said to have been represented on the shield of Ulysses.

More About Dolphins From The Web:

• Dolphin and Dog Special Friendship
• Amazing dolphin compilation
• Wild dolphins try to communicate with diver